Police target illegal taxi drivers in Redruth
POLICE have been clamping down on illegal taxi drivers through spot-checks and informative leaflets.
Officers from the Redruth station made a late-night visit to the Zone Club, near the Penventon Park Hotel, on Thursday to chat with drivers about the types of licence and insurance needed to legally drive a taxi.
Clubbers were also given leaflets about the dangers of getting into an illegal taxi as part of a Cornwall Council licensing campaign.
Neighbourhood beat manager PC Mark Pearce said: “We aren’t necessarily arresting drivers at this stage; we’re just making sure that the information is out there for members of the public who travel in taxis. We’ve had reports of several vehicles, known to the council and the police, which seem to be operating illegal services in Redruth specifically targeting the nightspots in the town.
West Briton reporter hunts illegal taxi drivers with officers in Redruth
“We want the perpetrators to know that this is an issue we’re aware of and that illegal taxi activity will result in fines and potentially prosecution.”
Taxi drivers and firms must register and pay for either a hackney cab licence, which allows a vehicle to wait in a designated taxi rank and be booked privately, or a private hire licence, which permits a driver to collect only customers who have booked the service in advance.
Legal drivers will display the relevant licence plates and hackney cabs will also have an illuminated taxi sign on the roof and a taximeter inside.
Taxi drivers undergo criminal record checks and their vehicles are subject to two MoTs a year, as well as random spot-checks.
Cornwall Council’s licensing department has recorded an increase in the number of illegal drivers targeting Redruth.
Licensing compliance manager Bob Mears said: “Illegal drivers are using social media, in particular Facebook and Twitter, asking people to contact them for cheap rides.
“Some of it’s ignorance – people just don’t know what they’re doing is illegal – but some is people wilfully breaking the law to make money.
“Legal drivers undergo quite strict tests and regulation. You just don’t know what could happen to you when you get into an illegal taxi, so we’re urging people to use hackney or private hire cars.”
In the past year several illegal drivers have been prosecuted through the criminal courts and others fined up to £3,000.
“The cost of a taxi can be high when you’re travelling back to rural places,” Mr Mears conceded, “but we advise people to book hackney or private hire cabs in groups if possible before they go out and arrange a pick-up time and a price beforehand.”
Anyone with information on illegal taxi drivers can contact Cornwall Council on 0300 1234 100 and ask to speak to the licensing department.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Police-targ ... z3JjI7CaB3
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